Memorandum Summary

  • Social Security Act Section 1135 emergency waivers for health care providers will terminate with the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) on May 11, 2023.
  • Certain regulations or other policies included in Interim Final Rules with Comments (IFCs) will be modified with the ending the PHE. Certain policies, such as the Acute Hospital at Home initiative and telehealth flexibilities have been extended by Congress through December 31, 2024.
  • Long Term Care and Acute and Continuing Care providers are expected to be in compliance with the requirements according to the timeframes listed below {in the memo}.

Please see the full memo for complete details at https://www.cms.gov/medicare/provider-enrollment-and-certification/surveycertificationgeninfo/policy-and-memos-states/guidance-expiration-covid-19-public-health-emergency-phe.

Nursing homes are required to electronically submit direct care staffing information to the Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) system. Submissions must be received by the end of the 45th calendar day (11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time) after the last day in each fiscal quarter to be considered timely. PBJ data for 1/1/23 through 3/31/23 is due May 15, 2023.

Please submit PBJ data as soon as possible to avoid delays. CMS recommends running staffing reports in CASPER prior to the submission deadline to ensure the accuracy and completeness of submissions. Please remember, the Final File Validation Report verifies that the submission was successful.

Please note: If you need assistance with the PBJ quarterly submission and the deadline falls on a weekend, you must contact the QIES/iQIES Service Center no later than the Friday before the submission deadline, as the Service Center will be unavailable to assist on the weekend.

More information about PBJ can be found on the following webpages:

CMS PBJ webpage – https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/NursingHomeQualityInits/Staffing-Data-Submission-PBJ
PBJ Reference Manuals – https://qtso.cms.gov/vendors/payroll-based-journal-pbj-vendors/reference-manuals
PBJ Training – https://qtso.cms.gov/training-materials/payroll-based-journal-pbj

SNFs are required to report data to meet the SNF QRP requirements. The submission deadline for the SNF QRP is approaching. The following data must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. on May 15, 2023:

  • MDS data for 10/1/22 through 12/31/22;
  • NHSN data for COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Among Healthcare Personnel for 10/1/22 through 12/31/22;
  • NHSN data for Influenza Vaccination Coverage Among Healthcare Personnel for 10/1/22 through 3/31/23.

The Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 must be transmitted to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) through the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES). Data for the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) measures must be submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). No additional data submission is required for the claims-based measures.

As a reminder, it is recommended that providers run applicable MDS reports prior to each quarterly reporting deadline, in order to ensure that all required data has been submitted.

Swingtech sends informational messages to SNFs that are not meeting APU thresholds on a quarterly basis ahead of each submission deadlines. If you need to add or change the email addresses to which these messages are sent, please email QRPHelp@swingtech.com and be sure to include your facility name and CMS Certification Number (CCN) along with any requested email updates.

More information about SNF QRP can be found on the following webpages:

CMS SNF QRP Data Submission Deadlines webpage – https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/NursingHomeQualityInits/Skilled-Nursing-Facility-Quality-Reporting-Program/SNF-Quality-Reporting-Program-Data-Submission-Deadlines
CMS SNF QRP Help webpage – https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/NursingHomeQualityInits/Skilled-Nursing-Facility-Quality-Reporting-Program/SNF-Quality-Reporting-Program-QRP-Help
CMS SNF QRP Measures and Technical Information webpage – https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/NursingHomeQualityInits/Skilled-Nursing-Facility-Quality-Reporting-Program/SNF-Quality-Reporting-Program-Measures-and-Technical-Information
CMS SNF QRP Training Webpage – https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/NursingHomeQualityInits/Skilled-Nursing-Facility-Quality-Reporting-Program/SNF-Quality-Reporting-Program-Training

On April 17, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) transitioned to the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES) for Minimum Data Set (MDS) record submissions and reports.

All MDS submissions that were performed in the QIES Assessment Submission And Processing (ASAP) system prior to April 13 at 8:00 p.m. ET were processed in that system. As part of the migration, MDS data accepted into the ASAP system prior to the start of the migration were moved into iQIES. All new, modification, or inactivation records must be submitted in iQIES, even if the original record to be corrected was accepted into the QIES ASAP system.

As part of the migration, users are now able to access and run the user-requested reports in iQIES. User’s access to the reports is similar to the access in the Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reporting (CASPER) Reporting application, so long as their new HCQIS Access Roles and Profile (HARP) role allows access to generate and view reports. Users are only allowed to run reports for the providers to which they have access.

Register for an iQIES Account

For information and instructions to register for an iQIES account, please visit: https://qtso.cms.gov/news-and-updates/action-required-register-iqies-account.

User Manuals

Video Tutorials

Additionally, the iQIES Team has developed video tutorials to provide an overview of the MDS functionalities in iQIES. The video tutorials can be found on QTSO and are not mandatory: https://qtso.cms.gov/training-materials/iqies-training-videos

  • Upload an Assessment for MDS Users
  • How to Run Reports

iQIES Service Center

  • If you have questions or require assistance, please contact the QIES/iQIES Service Center by phone at (800) 339-9313 or send an email.

June 8, 2023: 2023 Acute & Post-Acute Care Summit
Location: Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel, St. Louis

LeadingAge Missouri, MHA, and ACHE are proud to offer the 4th annual Summit for Acute and Post-Acute Care Providers. This gathering of industry professionals is intended to produce solutions across the care continuum for a collaborative healthcare industry. You’ll hear from top experts in the field on topics such as Acute and Post-Acute relationship modeling, Workforce in Healthcare, Payment Reform, incorporating technology into your healthcare landscape, and the future of healthcare from our keynote speaker.

The Summit is a one-day event that brings together acute and post-acute healthcare industry professionals for education and networking, aiming to improve healthcare delivery. It fosters collaboration and is unique in its approach to education and networking.

May 9, 2023: Veteran’s Benefits
Location: St. Louis County Library – Jamestown Bluffs Branch, Florissant

May 23, 2023: Veteran’s Benefits
Location: St. Louis County Library – Prairie Commons Branch, Hazelwood

May 24, 2023: The Bare Necessities – Nursing in Long-Term Care

June 15, 2023: Residents First Long-Term Care Conference
Location: St. Louis University’s Margaret McCormick Doisy LRC, St. Louis

July 11, 2023: Preventing Financial Fraud
Location: St. Louis County Library – Cliff Cave Branch, St. Louis

July 25, 2023: Preventing Financial Fraud
Location: St. Louis County Library – Jamestown Bluffs Branch, Florissant

The passage of Amendment 3 in 2022, and legalization of adult cannabis use in Missouri created needs, challenges, and opportunities. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) is working to ensure Missourians have access to sufficient evidence-based information to make informed decisions about cannabis consumption and exposure, as well as, be knowledgeable about how it affects safety and the public health of all Missourians. We are asking stakeholder to take the survey linked below by April 28, 2023 to help identify what Missouri partners are doing to address cannabis use/misuse, resources utilized, challenges, needs and opportunities to collaborate.

Thank you for your time, interest and information. We look forward to working with you on strategies to prevent cannabis use and misuse and educate Missourians regarding legal cannabis use.

https://missouriwic.iad1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_d0eClc80miwNmho

We are currently in the planning phase to host in-person provider meetings in all regions this year and are considering the best topics to provide the most beneficial information. We would like to hear from you about what LTC related topics and info you believe would be helpful and educational!

Please take a moment to complete a one-question survey by May 10, 2023 at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2C82YVN.

Vaccines, Treatments and Promising Practices to Improve Resident Outcomes

CMS QI Voices: Improving COVID-19 Outcomes in Nursing Homes Across America, a new audio series produced by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), is available for listening at https://qioprogram.org/cmsqivoices.

This audio series is designed to help busy medical directors, administrators and directors of nursing and education keep residents and staff safe with actionable information to increase COVID-19 vaccination and use of available treatments and improve infection prevention efforts in nursing home and long-term care settings.

In a special series of three 15-minute episodes, CMS Chief Medical Officer Dr. Lee Fleisher leads clinical discussions with experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Biologics and Research and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. These episodes cover:

  • The safety and efficacy of the new bivalent COVID-19 vaccine in long-term care.
  • The benefits, risks and side effects of therapeutics for nursing home residents diagnosed with COVID-19.
  • National programs and partnerships that support nursing homes teams’ efforts to promote COVID-19 infection prevention and vaccination.

In the remaining five-minute episodes, CMS leaders talk with CMS Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organizations (QIN-QIOs) and the nursing homes they serve to discuss:

  • How to increase COVID-19 vaccine confidence in care settings with high resident turnover.
  • How one nursing home is using the power of peer ambassadors to increase vaccine confidence.
  • What nursing home staff need to keep doing to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
  • When, who and how to cohort in your nursing home.
  • How a nursing home serving Native American residents uses a culturally inclusive approach to address health equity and increase vaccine confidence.

The CMS QI Voices: Improving COVID-19 Outcomes in Nursing Homes Across America audio series is available wherever listeners have online access. Nursing home teams may listen at https://qioprogram.org/cmsqivoices or contact LTC@hqi.solutions for more information about the audio series.

On April 17, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will transition to the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES) for Minimum Data Set (MDS) record submissions and reports. As part of this transition, the QIES Assessment Submission And Processing (ASAP) system for MDS submissions will be turned off on Thursday, April 13 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Providers should submit completed MDS records prior to 8:00 p.m. ET on April 13 to the QIES ASAP system or wait until 8:00 a.m. ET on Monday, April 17 to submit data in iQIES. Once the transition is complete, all new, modification, or inactivation records must be submitted in iQIES, even if the original record to be corrected was accepted into the QIES ASAP system. Providers are expected to take into account all submission requirements when determining the date that they submit completed MDS records, including but not limited to, submission timeliness, claims processing, and care planning requirements.

MDS submission and records will be available in iQIES beginning Monday, April 17, 2023 at 8:00 a.m. ET. iQIES will be the only system in which MDS data submissions can occur.

What to Expect with the Minimum Data Set (MDS) Transition to iQIES

Please note there are some system-generated reports in the CASPER application that will not be migrated over to the iQIES folders. Users should download and save or print any of these system-generated reports that they wish to retain. For more information on MDS reports, please visit: https://qtso.cms.gov/news-and-updates/what-expect-minimum-data-set-mds-transition-iqies-april-17-2023.

Register for an iQIES Account

Please note that failure to obtain access to iQIES prior to April 17, 2023 will impact your ability to submit MDS records once the migration is complete. For information and instructions to register for an iQIES account, please visit: https://qtso.cms.gov/news-and-updates/action-required-register-iqies-account.

iQIES Service Center

If you have questions or require assistance, please contact the QIES/iQIES Service Center by phone at (800) 339-9313 or send an email. Please note that call volume may be higher than normal during this time.

COMRU will be hosting a webinar/Q&A session regarding the online process and the ending of the COVID 19 waiver via WebEx.

April 24, 2023: Join Meeting Here
Time: 10:00 a.m.

Join by meeting number
Meeting number (access code): 2460 830 8201
Meeting password: 67tMfa2hU6R

Tap to join from a mobile device (attendees only)
+1-650-479-3207,,24608308201## Call-in toll number (US/Canada)
+1-312-535-8110,,24608308201## United States Toll (Chicago)

May 9, 2023: FREE CEU Event
Location: The Meadows at John Knox Village, Lee’s Summit

CEU hours available through the Missouri and Kansas Boards of Nursing Home Administrators.

All attendees will receive a certificate of participation.

The Delta variant quickly became the predominant circulating SARS-CoV-2 strain in the USA during summer 2021. Missouri identified a high number of outbreaks in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) across the state with low vaccination rates among LTCF staff members and poor adherence to mitigation measures within local communities. Ten long-term care facilities in Missouri worked with CDC to evaluate case data to assess disease transmission, vaccination status, and outcomes among residents and staff, including onsite visits to facilities with recent COVID-19 outbreaks in communities with substantial transmission to assess mitigation measures. Attached is a copy of the published findings from that study.

The Mo HealthNet Personal Funds Account Balance Report was updated in March of 2023. Please use the following link to access the updated report when reporting expired residents to the MO HealthNet Division: https://manuals.momed.com/forms/Personal_Funds_Account_Balance_Report.pdf.

Please note, while the MO HealthNet Personal Funds Account Balance Report form states the completed form must be submitted within 60 days of the resident’s death, federal requirements for certified nursing facilities require the notification within 30 days of the resident’s death. Refer to F569 of the State Operations Manual. For state regulations, please refer to 19 CSR 30-88.020 (11).

Also note, the only resident funds that can be withdrawn prior to completing the Personal Funds Account Balance Report is for basic funeral expenses.

Feel free to contact Lynn Gilmore, Lead Auditor, at 573-508-4150 if you have any questions.

Knowledge tests for 1/1/23-4/5/23 show students passed at 64.11%

These areas are below 80%:

  • Aging Process and Restorative Care – 79%
  • Basic Nursing Skills – 78%
  • Disease Process – 78%
  • Role Responsibility – 77%
  • Communication – 80%

*If your students have failed a test, please have your students review their tests so they know what areas that need more attention before retesting.

Skills tests given from 1/1/23-4/5/23 show students passed at 79.05%

Students scored the lowest on the areas below:

  • Blood Pressure – 78.85%
  • Feeding a Dependent Resident – 85.45%

NOTE: HEU and Headmaster met with our Test Advisory Panel in March to address some changes in the skills test and knowledge test. These changes will be effective on July 1, 2023 so please check the Missouri Headmaster Website for the most recent version of the Candidate Handbook.

 

CNA Live Renewals Coming Soon

HEU is excited to announce the “new” process for CNA Renewals as it is close to going “LIVE” on May 1, 2023.

Please email Headmaster at missouri@hdmaster.com if you have not setup your employer profile. This will give the employer the option to verify employment and pay for the renewal for their CNA staff. This process will increase efficiency and time as it is all done electronically for the CNA and the employer. We have included a link to review the process in a How To Guide and will be offering several Q & A webinars. Please see below:

On April 17, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will transition to the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES) for Minimum Data Set (MDS) record submissions and reports. As part of this transition, the QIES Assessment Submission And Processing (ASAP) system for MDS submissions will be turned off on Thursday, April 13 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Providers should submit completed MDS records prior to 8:00 p.m. ET on April 13 to the QIES ASAP system or wait until 8:00 a.m. ET on April 17 to submit data in iQIES. Once the transition is complete, all new, modification, or inactivation records must be submitted in iQIES, even if the original record to be corrected was accepted into the QIES ASAP system. Providers are expected to take into account all submission requirements when determining the date that they submit completed MDS records, including but not limited to, submission timeliness, claims processing, and care planning requirements.

Register for an iQIES Account

Please note that failure to obtain access to iQIES prior to April 17, 2023 will impact your ability to submit MDS records once the migration is complete. For information and instructions to register for an iQIES account, please visit: https://qtso.cms.gov/news-and-updates/action-required-register-iqies-account

Outlined below are a few highlights and expectations for the release of the iQIES MDS submission and reporting functionality.

Key Highlightsof iQIES

  • Users will be able to securely access iQIES at any time, from any location (provided there is an internet connection).
  • Users will log in once to iQIES. No longer will users be required to log into CMSNet and then into separate applications to upload MDS records or access reports.
  • Users will have access to tips and information to guide them throughout the MDS submission process and accessing reports.
  • Users will be allowed to upload MDS assessments in a similar manner as was done in the QIES.
  • MDS reports will be similar to those in the Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reporting (CASPER) application, with some new functionality built in.
    • Users can initially view the report information on the screen and if desired, can then download the report to a Portable Document Format (PDF) or Comma-Separated Values (CSV) file.
    • Users can schedule reports to run at their desired interval and frequency.

What to Expect for Providers and Vendors

  • QIES Assessment Submission And Processing (ASAP) system for MDS submissions will be turned off as of Thursday, April 13 at 8:00 p.m. ET.
  • Beginning April 17, 2023 MDS records will be available in iQIES. iQIES will be the only system in which MDS data submissions can occur. 

Report Information – QIES/CASPER

  • The reports in the following report categories in CASPER will become permanently unavailable on Thursday, April 13, 2023 at 8:00 p.m. ET:
    • MDS 3.0 NH Final Validation Report
    • MDS 3.0 SB Final Validation Report
    • MDS 3.0 Submitter Validation Report
    • MDS 3.0 NH Provider
      • Exception for this report category: the MDS 0003D/0004D Package Reports in this category will remain available
    • MDS 3.0 SB Provider
    • MDS 3.0 QM Reports
    • SNF Quality Reporting Program
  • The ASAP system-generated Nursing Home (NH) and Swing Bed (SB) final validation reports in the facility-specific Validation Report (VR) folders will reflect processing information for MDS records submitted to the ASAP system prior to the migration. These reports will not be migrated to the iQIES folder; however, users will be able to generate a new user-requested report in iQIES.
    • Note: since the QIES system-generated final validation reports will not be moved into iQIES, users should download and save or print any system-generated reports that they wish to retain.
  • Users will continue to access reports or files in their provider’s shared non-validation report folder in CASPER until summer 2023 when delivery of the SNF VBP files and provider preview reports will be migrated into iQIES.
    • The shared non-validation report folders are named in this manner:
      • [State Code] LTC [Facility ID] for nursing home providers
      • [State Code] SB [Swing Bed ID] for swing bed providers
    • The reports/files in these folders could include those listed below.
      • SNF QRP Provider Preview Reports
        • April 2023 reports will be in CASPER
      • MDS 3.0 Provider-Level Quality Measure and MDS 3.0 Resident-Level Quality Measure Provider Preview reports
        • April 2023 reports will be in CASPER
      • SNF VBP files
      • Non-compliance Notification Letters, if applicable
  • Note: since the files listed above will not be moved into iQIES, users should download and save or print any of the reports or files that they wish to retain.

Report Information – iQIES

Following completion of the migration, users will be allowed to access and run the user-requested reports in iQIES. User’s access to the reports below will be similar to the access in the CASPER Reporting application, so long as your new HARP role allows access to generate and view reports. Users will only be allowed to run reports for the providers to which they have access.

Below are the report categories/types and each MDS report that is associated to the category/type combination.

  • Provider Report Category / Validation Report Type
    • MDS 3.0 NH Final Validation Report
    • MDS 3.0 SB Final Validation
    • MDS 3.0 Submitter Final Validation
  • Provider Report Category / Submission Report Type
    • MDS 3.0 Activity
    • MDS 3.0 Missing OBRA Assessment
  • Provider Report Category / Error Report Type
    • MDS 3.0 NH Error Detail
    • MDS 3.0 SB Error Detail
  • Provider Report Category / Admission/Discharge Report Type
    • MDS 3.0 Admissions/Reentry – Discharges Report
  • Provider Report Category / Roster Report Type
    • MDS 3.0 Roster
  • Quality Measure Report Category / Facility-Level Quality Measure
    • MDS 3.0 Facility Characteristics Report
    • MDS 3.0 Facility-Level QM Report
    • SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Facility-Level QM Report
  • Quality Measure Report Category / Resident/Patient-Level Quality Measure
    • MDS 3.0 Resident-Level QM Report
    • SNF QRP Resident-Level QM Report
  • Quality Measure Report Category / Review and Correct
    • SNF QRP Review & Correct Report
  • Quality Measure Report Category / Provider Threshold Report
    • SNF QRP Provider Threshold Report
  • MDS 3.0 QM Package Reports / Package Reports
    • MDS 3.0 QM Package Reports
  • System-generated MDS 3.0 NH and SB Final Validation Reports for MDS records submitted to iQIES will be accessed in the MDS 3.0 Final Validation Reports permanent folder in iQIES.

 

Data Availability for iQIES User-Requested Reports

  • Data for the Provider reports above will be available for Calendar Year (CY) 2013 (01/01/2013-12/31/2013) forward.
  • Data for the Quality Measure reports above will be available for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 (10/01/2021-09/30/2022) forward.
    • Users wishing to retain Quality Measure reports for older time periods should obtain those reports from CASPER prior to the migration.

Resident Internal IDs on MDS and SNF QRP Reports

  • As part of the MDS submission and reporting transition, MDS 3.0 records that had previously been processed and accepted into the QIES ASAP system will be migrated into iQIES. As part of this migration, a new unique state-level patient identifier has been created and will replace the previous QIES ASAP system-assigned Resident Internal ID on all MDS assessment records.
  • This new state-level patient ID will display on any MDS or SNF QRP report(s) that currently display the Resident Internal ID value.
  • For example, a resident whose Resident Internal ID was initially 58608036 as assigned from QIES ASAP, will now be 298899278 as assigned by iQIES for all reporting and processing purposes.

SNF QRP Quality Measure Report Information

  • The SNF QRP quality measures in iQIES will be calculated using the quality measure specifications and supportive documentation that were in effect 10/01/2022, including the following:
    • SNF-Quality-Measure-Calculations-and-Reporting-User’s-Manual-V4.0
    • Risk-Adjustment-Appendix-File-for-SNF-Effective-10-1-2022
    • SNF-Mobility-Model-ICD10-HCC-Crosswalk-Effective-10-01-2022
    • SNF-Self-Care-Model-ICD10-HCC-Crosswalk-Effective-10-01-2022

The above files can be downloaded from the SNF QRP Measures and Technical Information page on the CMS website: https://www.cms.gov/medicare/quality-initiatives-patient-assessment-instruments/nursinghomequalityinits/skilled-nursing-facility-quality-reporting-program/snf-quality-reporting-program-measures-and-technical-information.

  • The SNF QRP Facility-Level QM report will contain updated Medicare Fee-For-Service claims measure results when a Quarter End Date of 03/31/2022 or later is selected when requesting the report.
  • The new SNF Healthcare Personnel (HCP) Influenza vaccination measure will display on the iQIES SNF Provider Threshold Report following the migration; however, submission success results for this measure will not display on the report until the data submission deadline date for Q4, 2022 (12/31/2022) has passed.
    • The data submission deadline date for Q4, 2022 is May 15, 2023.

iQIES Service Center

If you have questions or require assistance, please contact the QIES/iQIES Service Center by phone at (800) 339-9313 or send an email. Please note that call volume may be higher than normal during this time.

The draft Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) User’s Manual version (v)1.18.11 is now available in the Downloads section on the Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) Manual page. The MDS 3.0 RAI User’s Manual v1.18.11 will be effective beginning October 01, 2023.

This version of the MDS 3.0 RAI Manual contains substantial revisions related to the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014 (IMPACT Act), which requires that standardized assessment items be collected across post-acute care (PAC) settings. Standardized data will enable cross-setting data collection, outcome comparison, exchangeability of data, and comparison of quality within and across PAC settings. Additionally, the language of the manual has been updated throughout to be gender neutral. Guidance and examples in numerous chapters and appendices have been revised for clarification and to reflect current regulations and best practices. Due to the scope of the revisions, CMS will not issue Replacement Pages for v1.18.11; those wishing to continue using a physical copy of the manual are encouraged to print the new version.

The DHSS Health Education Unit is conducting Weekly Instructor Info Webinars/Q&A Meet-Ups. These sessions will be held same day and time each week – Tuesdays at 2:00 p.m.

April 11, 2023: Instructor Info Meet Up Meeting
April 18, 2023: Instructor Info Meet Up Meeting
April 25, 2023: Instructor Info Meet Up Meeting

Please see the CNA Registry webpage for past meetings and more information.

If you have questions, please call our office at 573-526-5686.

May 23, 2023: Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Care Seminar
Location: The Sarah Community, Bridgeton
Trainer: Madisen Mendez, MOT, OTR/L, MSCS, CDP, CADDCT, CMDCP

The prevalence of dementia is on the rise. Successful dementia care in skilled nursing facilities, residential communities, and the home setting requires an understanding of the disease process, communication techniques, and possible causes of unwanted behaviors in persons living with dementia. The Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Care Seminar is a National Council of Certified Dementia Practioners (NCCDP) curriculum and will provide fundamental education on dementia care to enhance the quality of life of those living with cognitive dysfunction and their caregivers. In addition, this course will provide participants with approaches for daily activities, unmet needs, behavioral care, and interdisciplinary support.

REGISTRATION is LIMITED. No Refunds will be given, however substitutions can be made.

Memorandum Summary

  • CMS has rescinded memorandum QSO-20-31-ALL, the Enhanced Enforcement for Infection Control Deficiencies, and replaced it with memorandum QSO-23-10-NH, revised guidance for Strengthened Enhanced Enforcement for Infection Control Deficiencies. This revised guidance strengthens enforcement efforts for noncompliance with infection control deficiencies. The enhanced enforcement actions are more stringent for infection control deficiencies that result in actual harm or immediate jeopardy to residents. In addition, the criteria for enhanced enforcement on infection control deficiencies that result in no resident harm has been expanded to include enforcement on noncompliance with Infection Prevention and Control (F880) combined with COVID-19 Vaccine Immunization Requirements for Residents and Staff (F887).
  • CMS is providing guidance to the State Survey Agencies and CMS locations on handling enforcement cases before and after the revisions of Enhanced Enforcement for Infection Control Deficiencies.
  • Quality Improvement Organizations have been strategically refocused to assist nursing homes in combating COVID-19 through such efforts as education and training, creating action plans based on infection control problem areas, and recommending steps to establish a strong infection control and surveillance program.

Please see the full memo for complete details at https://www.cms.gov/medicare/provider-enrollment-and-certification/surveycertificationgeninfo/policy-and-memos-states/strengthened-enhanced-enforcement-infection-control-deficiencies-and-quality-improvement-activities.

There has been some confusion on where providers should send the FRI Initial Reporting Form and FRI Follow-Up Investigation Form.

The FRI Initial Reporting Form can be sent to the Adult Abuse and Neglect Hotline fax number (listed on the form) or to the regional office.

The FRI Follow-Up Investigation Form should be sent directly to the regional office. Please do not send the follow-up investigation to the Adult Abuse and Neglect Hotline.